Basic actions

If you’re new to Shortcuts, these actions are the least complex and should be self-explanatory based on the title or description.

Some of these are deceivingly staightforward too – as just one piece of the puzzle, the utility may not be clear, but Related Actions can help show how to use each in context.

These actions aren’t “just for beginners” either – some simple actions are the most-used.

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Get Latest Photos
Gets the most recent photos from the camera roll.
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Get Latest Live Photos
Gets the most recent Live Photos from the camera roll.
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Get Latest Bursts
Gets the most recent burst photos from the camera roll.
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Save to Photo Album
Adds the photos and video passed as input to the specified photo album. This action is required if you want images, photos, or videos in Shortcuts to be saved into the Photos app.
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Play/Pause Music
Pauses the currently playing music.
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Change Playback Destination
Sets playback destination to a device. Device The device to set playback destination to.
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Set Noise Control Mode
Sets a Noise Control mode on your selected device.
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Show Result
Shows the specified text in Siri or in an alert.
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Quick Look
Displays a preview of the input.
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Scan QR/Bar Code
Scans a QR code or bar code using the camera, and returns the text/URL that is found.
Get Upcoming Reminders
Gets upcoming reminders, ordered from nearest to farthest away due date.
Add New Reminder
Creates a new reminder and adds it to the selected list of reminders.
Show Reminders List
Shows the specified list in the Reminders app.
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Open URLs
Opens URLs passed into the action in Safari (or the corresponding app if it’s a deep link).
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Show Web Page
Shows the web URL passed into he action in a Safari View Controller, allowing you to view the web page without switching apps. Includes a toggle to enter Safari Reader mode if it’s available for the given web page.